Energy Law

The Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF), in conjunction with the Vermont Center for Geographic Information and Fountains Spatial, Inc., announced the launch of The Renewable Energy Atlas of Vermont, a state-of-the-art GIS-based web application that identifies, analyzes, and visualizes existing and promising locations for renewable energy projects.

The Atlas is the first tool of its kind in the United States to enable users to choose their town or county and then select from a suite of renewable energy options including biomass, efficiency, geothermal, hydroelectric, solar and wind. With a click of the mouse, users can map their selection. Existing and potential renewable energy sites, renewable energy installers and consultants will appear on the map, and an analysis panel will summarize the results. The simple to use web application can be accessed anywhere and users can save their maps and analyses as unique URLs or export them to a PDF document.

The Renewable Energy Atlas is available @ http://www.vtenergyatlas.com/

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) sent a set of final recommendations on how to minimize the impacts of land-based wind farms on wildlife and habitats to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar on April 13. The proposed siting and operational guidelines by the 22-member Wind Turbine Guidelines Federal Advisory Committee include a science-based "tiered" process that corresponds to the stage of development of each wind power project, ranging from preliminary assessments to post-construction impact studies. The process is intended to assist developers in assessing the environmental footprint of their projects. The recommendations also call for meaningful incentives for developers that voluntarily adopt the tiered approach and cooperate with the FWS while advancing their projects. The advisory committee includes representatives from federal, state, and tribal governments, as well as wildlife conservation organizations and the wind power industry.

The FWS press release is available here, and the advisory committee recommendations are available here.

The Interior Department is writing new regulations for mountaintop-removal coal mining that would expand protection for waterways and require the restoration of dynamited areas.

Christopher Holmes, spokesman for Interior's Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, said the agency is rewriting its "stream protection rule" to boost environmental safeguards.

The world has yet to reach a binding international agreement on climate change to succeed the Kyoto Protocol, but a new report from the National Research Council (NRC) has already looked at how independent data may be used to verify the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reported by countries.

Earth Day is a great time to commit to protecting the environment and saving energy. April 22, 2010, marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Check out our resources, tips, and ideas to learn how you can make every day Earth Day.

White House energy adviser Carol Browner said Tuesday she thinks Congress still has time to approve a climate and energy bill this year. Browner called action on the long-delayed legislation "doable," because members of Congress increasingly understand the need to develop clean energy that does not emit carbon dioxide and other pollutants blamed for global warming.

The Department of Defense has initiated several programs to reach a renewable portfolio standard, according to "Reenergizing America's Defense," a report released by the Pew Project on National Security, Energy and Climate. The report describes efforts by the U.S. military, which uses nearly 80 percent of the U.S. government's energy consumption, to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and cut pollution by enhancing energy efficiency and using clean energy technologies.

Wisconsin Democrats on Tuesday released revisions to their sweeping renewable energy bill, dropping requirements for cleaner cars and fuels but leaving much of the original measure intact. A quarter of the state's energy would still have to come from renewable sources by 2025 and utilities could still construct new nuclear plants.